The 32nd Juried Open Exhibition of the Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) opens to the public on Wednesday, March 11 at Williams Tower, 2800 Post Oak Boulevard, 77056. The opening reception and awards presentation will be 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Williams Tower. The awards presentation, including more than $2,500 in cash prizes, is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The 32nd Juried Open Exhibition was open to VAA members and non-members. In all 598 entries were submitted by 165 artists from 17 states and one country outside the U.S. Noted independent art curator Sally Sprout will select he entries for the exhibition. The exhibition is open to the public through Saturday, April 11.

Ms. Sprout is an active member of the Houston art community, currently directing the exhibition program at the Williams Tower Gallery and acting as principal of Sally Sprout Fine Art consulting services. She has served as Curator of Exhibitions and Curator of the Collection for Transco Energy Company and also curated the sculpture program for The Woodlands Operating Company. Ms. Sprout has served on numerous art boards, including DiverseWorks Art Space Inc and Houston Center for Photography and is a frequent juror for city art organizations.

Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) will host an opening reception for the 8th Juried Invitational Exhibition on Wednesday, May 27, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m., with an awards presentation at 7 p.m. The exhibition will be on display through Saturday, August 1, at the 1600 Smith Street Gallery. The exhibition is juried by Chris Higham, noted Houston art collector and active volunteer in the Houston arts community.

Mr. Higham is a co-founder of an annual exhibition at Spring Street Studios and is a regular volunteer with the Bayou City Arts Festival, KUHF/Houston Public Media and Lawndale Art Center. Additionally, he conducts interviews of artists for Houston Art Showcase, a local organization that strives to ignite art appreciation and increase artistic standards in the local community, while providing opportunities to reach, develop and stimulate artists. The interviews can be seen on YouTube.

The public is invited to attend. The 1600 Smith Street Gallery is on the concourse of 1600 Smith Street, Houston, Texas 77002.

Visual Arts Alliance (VAA), one of the city’s leading art organizations, announces the opening of its 33rd Juried Membership Exhibition on Wednesday, September 23 in the Concourse Gallery at 1600 Smith Street. VAA received more than 450 submissions from 126 member artists. Juror for the exhibition is Gus Kopriva, owner of Redbud Gallery in Houston. Mr. Kopriva has selected 66 works that will be on display at 1600 Smith Street through Saturday, November 22.

The public is invited to the opening reception on Wednesday, September 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. Awards will be presented to the winning artists, including more than $2,500 in cash prizes. This is the 74th professionally juried exhibit which VAA has produced since its founding in 1981. No other community based arts organization has this amount of exhibition experience.

The 1600 Smith Street Gallery is on the concourse of 1600 Smith Street, Houston, Texas 77002. Do plan to arrive earlier rather than later, as access to the building becomes more difficult after business hours.

Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) will host an opening reception for the 9th Juried Invitational Exhibition on Wednesday, January 20, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m., with an awards presentation at 7 p.m. The exhibition will be on display through Saturday, March 19, at the 1600 Smith Street Gallery. The exhibition is juried by Dr. Anna Tahinci, Ph. D., Professor and Head of Art History at Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

A native of Greece, Dr. Tahinci studied History and Archaeology in Athens. She spent a total of eleven years in Paris, where she studied Museum Studies at the Ecole du Louvre and Art History and Comparative Literature at the Sorbonne, receiving her PhD on Rodin's collectors. She has worked at the Musée Rodin, the Musée d’Orsay, the Louvre and the Harvard Art Museums. Dr. Tahinci has taught at Boston University Paris, the University of Minnesota, Macalester College, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and at the University of Houston. She co-curated the sculpture exhibition that was organized in Athens for the Olympic Games in 2004 and the exhibition Rodin and America at the Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University in 2011.

The 1600 Smith Street Gallery is on the concourse of 1600 Smith Street, Houston, Texas 77002. Do plan to arrive earlier rather than later, as access to the building becomes more difficult after business hours.

On Saturday, April 16 at Next Wall Gallery, member artists of the Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) will participate in a 12 hour (720 minute) pop-up fundraiser and mix-and-mingle for artists and patrons. Artists will begin painting, drawing, sculpting at 9 a.m., with work continuing throughout the day. An art720 reception will begin at 6 p.m. and all pieces created during the day will be available for sale for $100 each, including tax. All proceeds benefit VAA.

The public is invited to attend art720, observing and interacting with the artists as they create the art in the medium of their choice. All artwork will be for sale before, during and after they are complete. Guests can pop in and out throughout the day, and return during the reception to pick up or purchase work.

“We held our first art720 last year and it was great fun – and an excellent fund-raiser for VAA. Everyone who stopped by loved the opportunity to see how artists work. And then to have the opportunity to actually purchase an original art piece for only $100! It was a unique experience for all, not to mention a wonderful way to collect art, and get to know Houston artists in person,” says Matt Adams, President, Visual Arts Alliance.

There is no charge to watch artists creating their works or to attend the reception. Reservations are not necessary. Next Wall Gallery is located at 1717 Michigan Street, 77006. For directions to the gallery, visit www.facebook.com/Next-Wall-Gallery.

In less than four years, the hip and humble BLUEorange Contemporary Art Gallery, 1208 West Gray St., has earned distinction as a supporter of some of the most innovative fine art in Houston and beyond. The Visual Arts Alliance is proud to announce this unique location as the venue for its 76th Juried Exhibition.

Each quarter, VAA hosts professionally-juried art shows as part of the effort to create more opportunities for established and emerging artists alike to connect with the viewing public. With quality in mind, the 76th contest alone earned 540 entries from 135 artists. Juror D.M. Allison, owner of the D M Allison Gallery, whittled down the entries to a selection of 55 pieces for the exhibition, an acceptance rate of roughly 13 percent. The opening reception will be held Wednesday, June 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. with awards announced at 7 p.m. An artists' talk about work featured in the exhibition will be held Saturday, June 18 from 2 to 4 p.m.

Hear from some of the artists whose artwork was selected for the VAA 33rd Juried Open Exhibition by juror D.M. Allison, owner of the D M Allison Gallery.

Scheduled to speak June 18 are:

J.M.M. Barkovich

Seema Nanda

Jason Schaefer

Lourdes Torgersen

Dee Zunker

Scheduled to speak July 2 are:

Rodolfo Bañuelos

Renee Cleare

Luisa Duarte

Jesus Olivero

John Slaby

Gretchen Sparks

Robert L Straight

Chell Vassallo

Each quarter, VAA hosts professionally-juried art shows as part of the effort to create more opportunities for established and emerging artists alike to connect with the viewing public. With quality in mind, the 76th contest alone earned 540 entries from 135 artists. Juror D.M. Allison, owner of the D M Allison Gallery, whittled down the entries to a selection of 55 pieces for the exhibition, an acceptance rate of roughly 13 percent. Artist talks about work featured in the exhibition will be held Saturday, June 18 from 2 to 4 p.m. and Saturday, July 2 from 2 to 4 p.m.

The opening reception for the 10th Juried Invitational will be held Wednesday, August 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. with awards announced at 7 p.m. Artist talks about work featured in the exhibition will be scheduled on subsequent Saturdays.

Each quarter, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) hosts professionally-juried art shows as part of the effort to create more opportunities for established and emerging artists alike to connect with the viewing public.

On Wednesday, November 2, VAA will host an opening reception for the 34th Juried Membership Exhibition from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with an awards presentation at 7 p.m. The exhibition will be on display through Saturday, December 3, at Spring Street Studios (2nd Floor), 1824 Spring Street. Zoya Tommy, owner of Zoya Tommy Gallery, juries the exhibition.

Zoya studied painting at Rhode Island School of Design and came to Houston to complete a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Houston in 2003. Originally from Trinidad she has traveled to Europe, Middle-East and been inspired by beauty and art all her life. She is a painter and has expanded her career to the business of art.

Each quarter, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) hosts professionally-juried art shows as part of the effort to create more opportunities for established and emerging artists alike to connect with the viewing public.

On Saturday, November 12, VAA will hold an artist talk from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Spring Street Studios, 2nd floor. Exhibiting artists in the VAA 34th Juried Membership Exhibition will have the opportunity to give a short presentation on their work and answer questions from the audience. The artist are Francisco Carrion, Joelle Verstraeten, Kathy Drago, Liz Hill, Lou Sprecher, Catherine Hicks, Anthony Pabillano, Aldo Roldan, JMM Barkovich, Daria Aksenova, Dee Zunker, Donna Villarreal, John Slaby and Jon Pennington.

The exhibition will be on display through Saturday, December 3, at Spring Street Studios (2nd Floor), 1824 Spring Street. Zoya Tommy, owner of Zoya Tommy Gallery, juried the exhibition. Zoya studied painting at Rhode Island School of Design and came to Houston to complete a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Houston in 2003. Originally from Trinidad she has travelled to Europe, Middle-East and been inspired by beauty and art all her life. She is a painter and has expanded her career to the business of art.

Each quarter, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) hosts professionally-juried art shows as part of the effort to create more opportunities for established and emerging artists alike to connect with the viewing public.

The exhibition will be on display through Saturday, December 3, at Spring Street Studios (2nd Floor), 1824 Spring Street. Zoya Tommy, owner of Zoya Tommy Gallery, juried the exhibition. Zoya studied painting at Rhode Island School of Design and came to Houston to complete a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Houston in 2003. Originally from Trinidad she has travelled to Europe, Middle-East and been inspired by beauty and art all her life. She is a painter and has expanded her career to the business of art.

Each quarter, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) hosts professionally-juried art shows as part of the effort to create more opportunities for established and emerging artists alike to connect with the viewing public. On Wednesday, January 18, VAA will host an opening reception for the 11th Juried Invitational Exhibition from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with an awards presentation at 7 p.m. Selected were 97 works by 36 artists.

The exhibition is juried by Lester Marks, President of LCM Partners, Ltd., and a represented artist himself. Mr. Marks has served as a trustee for both the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and td the Contemporary Arts Museum. He has been included in Art News as one of the top 200 collectors in the world, and in Art and Antiques as one of the top 100 "collectors making a difference" in the art world. Most recently, American Art Collector featured this collection in the Winter 2016 issue of Iris Covet Book.

Exhibiting artists will have the opportunity to give a short presentation on their work and answer questions from the audience. The first artist talk will be Saturday, January 14 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The artists will be Matt Adams, Nataliya Scheib, Diane Gelman, Donna Villarreal, Anthony Pabillano, Daria Aksenova, Sally Terrell Smith, Kimberly Warren, Kelly Best Bourgeois and William Gerrish.

Each quarter, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) hosts professionally-juried art shows as part of the effort to create more opportunities for established and emerging artists alike to connect with the viewing public. On Wednesday, January 18, VAA will host an opening reception for the 11th Juried Invitational Exhibition from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with an awards presentation at 7 p.m. Selected were 97 works by 36 artists.

The exhibition is juried by Lester Marks, President of LCM Partners, Ltd., and a represented artist himself. Mr. Marks has served as a trustee for both the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and td the Contemporary Arts Museum. He has been included in Art News as one of the top 200 collectors in the world, and in Art and Antiques as one of the top 100 "collectors making a difference" in the art world. Most recently, American Art Collector featured this collection in the Winter 2016 issue of Iris Covet Book.

Exhibiting artists will have the opportunity to give a short presentation on their work and answer questions from the audience. The first artist talk will be Saturday, January 14 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The artists will be Matt Adams, Nataliya Scheib, Diane Gelman, Donna Villarreal, Anthony Pabillano, Daria Aksenova, Sally Terrell Smith, Kimberly Warren, Kelly Best Bourgeois and William Gerrish.

Each quarter, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) hosts professionally-juried art shows as part of the effort to create more opportunities for established and emerging artists alike to connect with the viewing public. On Wednesday, January 18, VAA will host an opening reception for the 11th Juried Invitational Exhibition from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with an awards presentation at 7 p.m. Selected were 97 works by 36 artists.

The exhibition is juried by Lester Marks, President of LCM Partners, Ltd., and a represented artist himself. Mr. Marks has served as a trustee for both the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and td the Contemporary Arts Museum. He has been included in Art News as one of the top 200 collectors in the world, and in Art and Antiques as one of the top 100 "collectors making a difference" in the art world. Most recently, American Art Collector featured this collection in the Winter 2016 issue of Iris Covet Book.

Exhibiting artists will have the opportunity to give a short presentation on their work and answer questions from the audience. The first artist talk will be Saturday, January 14 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The artists will be Matt Adams, Nataliya Scheib, Diane Gelman, Donna Villarreal, Anthony Pabillano, Daria Aksenova, Sally Terrell Smith, Kimberly Warren, Kelly Best Bourgeois and William Gerrish.

Each quarter, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) hosts professionally-juried art shows as part of the effort to create more opportunities for established and emerging artists alike to connect with the viewing public. On Wednesday, January 18, VAA will host an opening reception for the 11th Juried Invitational Exhibition from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with an awards presentation at 7 p.m. Selected were 97 works by 36 artists.

The exhibition is juried by Lester Marks, President of LCM Partners, Ltd., and a represented artist himself. Mr. Marks has served as a trustee for both the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and td the Contemporary Arts Museum. He has been included in Art News as one of the top 200 collectors in the world, and in Art and Antiques as one of the top 100 "collectors making a difference" in the art world. Most recently, American Art Collector featured this collection in the Winter 2016 issue of Iris Covet Book.

Exhibiting artists will have the opportunity to give a short presentation on their work and answer questions from the audience. The first artist talk will be Saturday, January 14 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The artists will be Matt Adams, Nataliya Scheib, Diane Gelman, Donna Villarreal, Anthony Pabillano, Daria Aksenova, Sally Terrell Smith, Kimberly Warren, Kelly Best Bourgeois and William Gerrish.

Each year, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) hosts multiple professionally-juried art shows as part of the effort to create more opportunities for established and emerging artists alike to connect with the viewing public. On Wednesday, May 10, VAA will host an opening reception for the 34th Juried Open Exhibition from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with an awards presentation at 7 p.m. The exhibition will be on display from May 1 through June 3, at Spring Street Studios (2nd Floor), 1824 Spring Street. Rachel Cook, Curator at DiverseWorks in Houston, juries the exhibition.

Rachel Cook's curatorial work reconsiders the relationship between images and objects, and investigates methods of delegation embedded within performative and participatory work. Her writing has appeared in a number of art journals and catalogues, including Modern Painters, Flash Art, and the upcoming Prospect 3 catalogue. She is currently the Guest Editor of Art Lies for Gulf Coast, a journal of literature and fine arts. Cook holds a Masters from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and Bachelors from the San Francisco Art Institute. Last year she received a Curatorial Fellowship from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to research a series of Walker Evans’ photographs from the African Negro Art exhibition at MoMA in 1935.

Exhibiting artists will have the opportunity to give a short presentation on their work and answer questions from the audience.
- The first artist talk will be Saturday, May 13 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
- The second artist talk will be Saturday, May 20 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Each year, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) hosts multiple professionally-juried art shows as part of the effort to create more opportunities for established and emerging artists alike to connect with the viewing public. On Wednesday, May 10, VAA will host an opening reception for the 34th Juried Open Exhibition from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with an awards presentation at 7 p.m. The exhibition will be on display from May 1 through June 3, at Spring Street Studios (2nd Floor), 1824 Spring Street. Rachel Cook, Curator at DiverseWorks in Houston, juries the exhibition.

Rachel Cook's curatorial work reconsiders the relationship between images and objects, and investigates methods of delegation embedded within performative and participatory work. Her writing has appeared in a number of art journals and catalogues, including Modern Painters, Flash Art, and the upcoming Prospect 3 catalogue. She is currently the Guest Editor of Art Lies for Gulf Coast, a journal of literature and fine arts. Cook holds a Masters from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and Bachelors from the San Francisco Art Institute. Last year she received a Curatorial Fellowship from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to research a series of Walker Evans’ photographs from the African Negro Art exhibition at MoMA in 1935.

Exhibiting artists will have the opportunity to give a short presentation on their work and answer questions from the audience.
- The first artist talk will be Saturday, May 13 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
- The second artist talk will be Saturday, May 20 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Each year, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) hosts multiple professionally-juried art shows as part of the effort to create more opportunities for established and emerging artists alike to connect with the viewing public. On Wednesday, May 10, VAA will host an opening reception for the 34th Juried Open Exhibition from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with an awards presentation at 7 p.m. The exhibition will be on display from May 1 through June 3, at Spring Street Studios (2nd Floor), 1824 Spring Street. Rachel Cook, Curator at DiverseWorks in Houston, juries the exhibition.

Rachel Cook's curatorial work reconsiders the relationship between images and objects, and investigates methods of delegation embedded within performative and participatory work. Her writing has appeared in a number of art journals and catalogues, including Modern Painters, Flash Art, and the upcoming Prospect 3 catalogue. She is currently the Guest Editor of Art Lies for Gulf Coast, a journal of literature and fine arts. Cook holds a Masters from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and Bachelors from the San Francisco Art Institute. Last year she received a Curatorial Fellowship from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to research a series of Walker Evans’ photographs from the African Negro Art exhibition at MoMA in 1935.

Exhibiting artists will have the opportunity to give a short presentation on their work and answer questions from the audience:The first artist talk will be Saturday, May 13 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The artists will be Matt Adams, Cameron Alexander, J.M.M. Barkovich, Daniel Brents, Angela Corson, Shi Dong, Karen Ferrer, Lisa Goodrich, Cedric Ingram, Cameron Sands, Marlo Saucedo and Sally Terrell Smith.

- The second artist talk will be Saturday, May 20 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Each year, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) hosts multiple professionally-juried art shows as part of the effort to create more opportunities for established and emerging artists alike to connect with the viewing public. On Wednesday, May 10, VAA will host an opening reception for the 34th Juried Open Exhibition from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with an awards presentation at 7 p.m. The exhibition will be on display from May 1 through June 3, at Spring Street Studios (2nd Floor), 1824 Spring Street. Rachel Cook, Curator at DiverseWorks in Houston, juries the exhibition.

Rachel Cook's curatorial work reconsiders the relationship between images and objects, and investigates methods of delegation embedded within performative and participatory work. Her writing has appeared in a number of art journals and catalogues, including Modern Painters, Flash Art, and the upcoming Prospect 3 catalogue. She is currently the Guest Editor of Art Lies for Gulf Coast, a journal of literature and fine arts. Cook holds a Masters from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and Bachelors from the San Francisco Art Institute. Last year she received a Curatorial Fellowship from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to research a series of Walker Evans’ photographs from the African Negro Art exhibition at MoMA in 1935.

Exhibiting artists will have the opportunity to give a short presentation on their work and answer questions from the audience:
- The first artist talk will be Saturday, May 13 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

The second artist talk will be Saturday, May 20 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.The artists at this talk are Betty-Ann Brose, Tracey Meyer, Alexandra Nemeth, Laszlo Perlaky, Cynthia Reid and Barbara Shaw.

Each quarter, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) hosts professionally-juried art shows as part of the effort to create more opportunities for established and emerging artists alike to connect with the viewing public. On Wednesday, August 9, VAA will host an opening reception for the 12th Juried Invitational Exhibition from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with an awards presentation at 7 p.m. This event is the 80th juried exhibition VAA has produced since its founding in 1981. It will be on display from July 31 through August 26 at The Silos at Sawyer Yards, 1502 Sawyer Street, Houston. Artists, art enthusiasts, collectors, curators, and emerging collectors are invited to attend. For collectors it is very important to note that VAA takes no commission on sales; all sales are handled directly with the artist.

The exhibition was juried by Catherine D. Anspon. Since 1998, Catherine has covered the Texas art scene for PaperCity magazine, where she is currently an Executive Editor, based in Houston. Her byline has also appeared in Artnews as its Houston correspondent, Art & Antiques, Spot, and Glasstire, and most recently, Artdesk and Cultured. With a Master's in Art History, this Pittsburgh native — who's obsessed with Warhol — has served as an independent curator, and is the author of the volume Texas Artists Today (Marquand Books, 2010). Ms. Anspon plans to profile the winner on PaperCity's website along with a write up in PaperCity Magazine.

Each quarter, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) hosts professionally-juried art shows as part of the effort to create more opportunities for established and emerging artists alike to connect with the viewing public. On Wednesday, August 9, VAA will host an opening reception for the 12th Juried Invitational Exhibition from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with an awards presentation at 7 p.m. This event is the 80th juried exhibition VAA has produced since its founding in 1981. It will be on display from July 31 through August 26 at The Silos at Sawyer Yards, 1502 Sawyer Street, Houston. Artists, art enthusiasts, collectors, curators, and emerging collectors are invited to attend. For collectors it is very important to note that VAA takes no commission on sales; all sales are handled directly with the artist.

The exhibition was juried by Catherine D. Anspon. Since 1998, Catherine has covered the Texas art scene for PaperCity magazine, where she is currently an Executive Editor, based in Houston. Her byline has also appeared in Artnews as its Houston correspondent, Art & Antiques, Spot, and Glasstire, and most recently, Artdesk and Cultured. With a Master's in Art History, this Pittsburgh native — who's obsessed with Warhol — has served as an independent curator, and is the author of the volume Texas Artists Today (Marquand Books, 2010). Ms. Anspon plans to profile the winner on PaperCity's website along with a write up in PaperCity Magazine.

Each quarter, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) hosts professionally-juried art shows as part of the effort to create more opportunities for established and emerging artists alike to connect with the viewing public. On Wednesday, August 9, VAA will host an opening reception for the 12th Juried Invitational Exhibition from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with an awards presentation at 7 p.m. This event is the 80th juried exhibition VAA has produced since its founding in 1981. It will be on display from July 31 through August 26 at The Silos at Sawyer Yards, 1502 Sawyer Street, Houston. Artists, art enthusiasts, collectors, curators, and emerging collectors are invited to attend. For collectors it is very important to note that VAA takes no commission on sales; all sales are handled directly with the artist.

The exhibition was juried by Catherine D. Anspon. Since 1998, Catherine has covered the Texas art scene for PaperCity magazine, where she is currently an Executive Editor, based in Houston. Her byline has also appeared in Artnews as its Houston correspondent, Art & Antiques, Spot, and Glasstire, and most recently, Artdesk and Cultured. With a Master's in Art History, this Pittsburgh native — who's obsessed with Warhol — has served as an independent curator, and is the author of the volume Texas Artists Today (Marquand Books, 2010). Ms. Anspon plans to profile the winner on PaperCity's website along with a write up in PaperCity Magazine.